Strong Brother
by gemsofformenos
Summary: Little Zuko is so worried. His mother is so sad and acts so different since Azula is born and this behavior seems to get worse with every week which passes. Zuko has no clue how to help, but at one evening he realizes, that he has to do something, even if he doesn't understand what's wrong with his mother. Canon divergence Warning, this one implies a postnatal depression of Ursa!


**For BellatrixLestrangey**

**Hello everybody. This one has been in my mind for a while and I have made the last changes a few days ago and now I found the time to post this one here as well.**

**It deals with the idea that Ursa has a postnatal depression after Azula's birth, so count this hint as a warning!**

**Zuko has been aged up a bit for this one here, he should be around for or five, when Azula was born. It's written from his point of view.**

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**Strong Brother**

Something was wrong with mommy and it worried little Zuko deeply.

She was so sad and desperate lately and no matter what he tried to cheer her up, it only seemed to increase her sadness and distance. Daddy only got angry as he had asked him, what was going on with mommy. He had heard them yelling late at night, accusations and anger, he didn't understand. It was choking his heart to see her so lost and cold.

Especially when his sister was around. Mommy didn't act with her like she had act with him, before she was born. He has noticed the slight change short time after the birth of his sister and he knew, that he had heard the servants talking about it.

\- "It will pass in a few weeks." -

But weeks turned to months and it didn't pass. It got only worse. It hurt him to see mommy unhappy and sad and it hurt him the same way to see his sister growing so fast without the same love he had known from his mother.

He spent many hard and sleepless nights, to find a way how he could help mommy and Azula, because he loved both so much. But what kind of help could he offer. It was until one evening, when he was searching for mommy and found her on the balcony with Azula on her arms. It should have been a heart-warming scenery for him, but somehow it scared him how mommy was holding her. Why did she showed her the sight, by holding her so close to the railing and why did she kept getting closer to it?

"Can I hold Azula for a moment?"

He had no clue why he had asked her this question at this moment, but he had felt the urge to hold his sister. He noticed his mother wincing at his question and the tears in her eyes knotted his stomach, but he kept stretching out his arms towards her to offer her to hold his sister. She had handed him Azula and rushed away, hiding more tears before him. And so he made a decision, what he wanted to do for them.

Zuko has taken Azula with him this evening, without loosing a word to anyone. He feared the trouble this could cause for mommy or Azula. He has placed his sister in his bed and has made a railing out of his blanket, so that she wouldn't fall out of it, when she would wiggle and turn too much in sleep. Since he had no second blanket or quilt, he used one of his cloaks to keep her warm, while he went to the kitchen to get some milk for her. He fed her as best as he could and didn't care about the mess both were making on his bed. He also tried his best to change the diaper, but with less success. It was this moment, when he finally had managed to fix one of his shirts as a fresh one, when some guards and servants found them.

Daddy's anger was horrible, but he didn't care. Zuko didn't care the punishment, that he would have to sleep in the messy bed for a week to learn to value the furnishing, he didn't care that his father thought, that the work he has tried to do would have been 'servants and woman's work' and beneath his status in his opinion. He wanted to help. He wanted to be there for mommy and for Azula and this wish was stronger than any punishment.

And so he found ways to be there for Azula, to do things mommy wasn't able to do right now. He sneaked into Azula's room almost every night and slept on the floor beside the cradle to guard her sleep and to sooth her and care for her, when she woke up at night. Sometimes, when he or she couldn't find any sleep he sneaked back to his room with her and let her sleep in his arms until the early morning, before he brought her back to her room. He found allies in the staff, who helped to cover his actions and who assisted him whenever possible. He helped to feed her, to clean her and beside the fact that he was only a little child himself, he learned to change a diaper correctly. He played with her whenever he could and he didn't cared about the troubles his behavior caused for him, because he was tired all the time and lacked or skipped his education and first trainings attempts, because of his care for his sister. Daddy was mad all the time about his poor results he got reported from the teachers, but the smiles and the golden eyes of his little sister was all he needed to fight on for her and to help mommy. Zuko saw his mother less often this time and she seemed to be ashamed, when she saw him, especially when he was spending time with Azula, but he tried to comfort her whenever he saw her, still he didn't know, what was wrong with her and what else he could do.

But Zuko knew, that it was at least helping Azula. He knew it, when she was sleeping sound beside him. He knew it, when she was chuckling and squeaking in pure happiness, when he played with her. It was worth all the worries, the troubles and sleepless nights a little child shouldn't have. He knew he would skip any firebending training to help his sister at her first tries to walk, or to encourage her to crawl and explore the gardens in the palace. She always had this smart smile at her face, when he was explaining her the world all around her.

It was one really hard night, when she made him the greatest gift. He had taken her to his bed again, because he hadn't slept proper since days and couldn't take another night on the hard floor after a particular hard day at training under the pensive control of his father. It was long before sunrise, when he got up with her again to bring her back to her room.

He had reached her cradle and was about to place her back carefully, when Azula opened her golden orbs for him as he lifted her up. The child yawned heavy, but then a smile came to the lips of his little sister, before she spoke her first word just for him.

"Zuzu."

He was so happy, that he wanted to scream out his joy, but at the same time so sad, because daddy would probably only have yelled at him, why he kept disobeying his orders. And mommy would probably be more ashamed, when she would knew it. So he was alone, when he took seat on the floor again, with Azula in his little arms and he had some tears in his eyes as he gave her a kiss on her forehead. His sister grabbed at his cheek with her tiny hands and her smile was even brighter this time as she repeated her first word.

"Zuzu."


End file.
